Tom Lantos: “let me first identify myself with the comments of the distinguished gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), the chairman…”

“let me first identify myself with the comments of the distinguished gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), the chairman of the subcommittee, and my good friend and colleague from American Samoa. The purpose of my rising is to commend the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega), not only for his leadership on this issue, but on a wide range of issues in the jurisdiction of the Committee on International Relations. The gentleman has not restricted his expertise to this most important region. His contributions to the work of our committee have extended across the globe. But I think it is particularly appropriate that the gentleman has taken the lead on this issue. His idea of holding a summit at the East- West Center following the APEC meeting at Wellington, New Zealand, is an excellent one, and I strongly urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation. I also call on the administration to take the necessary steps to implement the gentleman's idea.”